BETTENDORF, Iowa — Nearly 1,000 residents contributed to this year's United Way Quad Cities Community Insights, Signals and Trends report. The organization publishes the report every three years and covers community issues that residents have shared concerns with.
The community highlighted four topics it would like to be addressed: mental health access, opportunities to provide basic family needs, collaboration between organizations driving change and early childhood education.
Rene Gellerman oversees operations at United Way as president and CEO. She found the depth of the community's issues concerning.
"Some of the key takeaways aren't overly surprising, except for the fact of the scale of them," Gellerman said. "When we look at child poverty, for example, that has increased over the last five years."
According to United Way data, over 19% of Quad Cities children live in poverty and almost a quarter of them are five years old or under.
"When we look at student academic achievement, we are seeing really concerning trends relating to the recovery of learning lost from the pandemic," Gellerman said.
On top of that, nearly half of three and four-year-old children in the Quad Cities aren't enrolled in early childhood development programs, meaning they're missing out on crucial learning opportunities.
"A lot of us don't know that a child's brain is 90% developed by the time they're five," Gellerman said. "When a child is ready for kindergarten, they're twice as likely to be reading by third grade. Third grade reading is a critical milestone and can predict life success."
Gellerman says United Way will use the data to collaborate with early education programs, giving kids the start they need and deserve.
United Way is also looking for volunteers interested in reading to children and help improve their reading levels. Those who are interested can sign up here.